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Houston Learns It Will Face Syracuse And Tennessee In The Players Era Championship

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Basketball

The University of Houston Men's Basketball program has learned its first two opponents at the Players Era Championship, set for Nov. 24-26 in Las Vegas.

The Cougars open the prestigious event against Syracuse at 5 p.m. (CST), Monday, Nov. 24, before facing Tennessee at 5 p.m. (CST), Tuesday, Nov. 25.

Houston's final opponent will be determined by its results from the first two games and will come from Rutgers, Creighton, Notre Dame, St. John's, Iowa State, Oregon, Auburn, Alabama, Gonzaga, Michigan, San Diego State, Maryland, Kansas, Baylor or UNLV.

Venues, broadcast partners and tickets information for the Players Era Championship will be announced soon.

SERIES HISTORIES
Houston's series histories against both Syracuse and Tennessee are tied.

The Cougars' and the Orange's series stands at 1-1 while the series against the Volunteers is split after six games.

In the most recent meeting against Syracuse, Houston claimed a 62-46 win inside Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on March 27, 2021.

The Cougars took a 69-50 win over #6/6 (2) Tennessee inside Lucas Oil Stadium during the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Elite Eight on March 30 to advance to the seventh NCAA Final Four in program history.

That win snapped a two-game losing streak against the Volunteers.


ABOUT the COUGARS
In 2024-25, the Cougars set a school single-season record with 35 wins and advanced to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game before falling to Florida inside Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Houston, which finished #2 in both national polls, won 31 of its final 33 games to end the season and advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the seventh time in program history – and the second time under Sampson – with a resounding 69-50 win over #6/6 (2) Tennessee during the NCAA Elite Eight in Indianapolis on March 30.

The Cougars swept the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships in their second year in the league and set school and league records with a 19-1 mark in conference games. Houston became the first school to join a major conference and win the regular-season title in each of its first two years in the league in more than 100 years.

Houston posted a perfect 10-0 record in road games in Big 12 play, becoming the first program in NCAA Division I history to accomplish that feat in a season, and enter the 2025-26 season with the nation's longest active road winning streak at 14 straight games.

Houston returns three starters and seven lettermen in 2025-26, including All-Big 12 Conference honoree and Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team member Milos Uzan, Phillips 66 Big12 Championship Most Outstanding Player and NCAA Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player guard Emanuel Sharp and Naismith Awards National Defensive Player of the Year presented by MOLECULE finalist Joseph Tugler.

The Cougars will be boosted with the addition one of the nation's top recruiting classes with freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr., freshman guard Isiah Harwell, freshman point guard Kingston Flemings, freshman guard Bryce Jackson, junior guard Pop Isaacs and senior forward Kalifa Sakho.